Ski boot fastening



Oct. 10, 1967 w N G 3,345,704

SKI BOOT FASTENING Filed June 50, 1966 United States Patent 3,345,704SKI BOUT FASTENING Kenneth W. Binding, Winchester, Mass, assiguor toMarket Forge Company, Everett, Mass a corporation of Massachusetts FiledJune 30, 1966, Ser. No. 561,782 7 Claims. (Cl. 2470) This inventionrelates to toggle fastenings for ski boots, and in particular to toggleassemblies adapted to be substituted for the lacings of ski boots havingconventional lace-holding hooks.

In United States Patent No. 3,287,774, dated Nov. 29, 1966 to Kenneth W.Binding et al., on an application filed Nov. 16, 1964, there is shown atoggle assembly of this kind in which there are spring metal jawsengageable with pairs of lacing hooks for anchoring the component partsof the assembly to the boot. This invention has for its purpose toprovide pairs of jaws which are adapted to be rigidly fastened to thelacing hooks rather than elastically attached thereto, thereby towithstand greater stresses and shock. Each assembly comprises a loopconnected to one jaw of a pair of jaws and a toggle member connected tothe other jaw of a pair of jaws. Another object of the invention is toprovide improved means for adjustably connecting the loop to the one jawand for retaining it in a selected position of adjustment without slip.The toggle member contains a plurality of longitudinally spaced notchesfor receiving the distal end of the loop to enable, by selection of anappropriate notch, obtaining the desired degree of snugness, and anotherobject of the invention is to hold the toggle member and loop in thisselected relation to each other to enable releasing the toggle withoutlosing the adjustment.

As herein illustrated, the toggle assembly comprises parts adapted to beanchored to the lace-holding means embodying, respectively, a loop andtoggle element operable, by interengagement, to shorten the distancebetween the lace-holding means; characterized in that each part isindependently secured to a pair of adjacent lace-holding means by a pairof jaws designed to receive portions of a pair of the lace-holding meansbetween them. A bolt extends through an opening in one jaw part of eachpair into a threaded socket secured to the other jaw of each pair and isoperable by rotation to draw the jaws of each pair together. One jaw ofeach pair of jaws has a flange bent downwardly opposite the outer edgesof the heads of the lace-holding hooks and the other jaw of each pair ofjaws has a portion abutting the outer sides of the shanks of thelace-holding hooks. A flexible strap connects the loop to one pair ofjaws, there being means at one end of the strap securing it to one ofthe jaws of the pair, and means at the opposite end securing it to theloop. The latter means comprises a length of strap folded through theloop and a cinch encircling the folded portion of the strap. The cinchis slidable along the fold toward the loop and embodies a tooth adaptedto engage one of a series of longitudinally spaced holes in the strap tohold it from slipping relative to the loop. The loop is comprised ofwire and has spaced parallel lengths joined to each other at one end bya straight length corresponding substantially in width to the strapandabout which the strap is bent, and a bent length joining the otherend for receiving the toggle member. The toggle member is pivoted to oneof the jaws of the other pair of jaws and a spring is supported undertension between the parallel lengths of the loop and is movabletherealong onto the bent length to confine the toggle member between itand the distal end of the bent length thereby to hold the toggle leverwith a selected notch engaged with a bent length of the loop. The springis movable rearwardly on the parallel lengths of the loop to free thetoggle member for engagement of a different notch with the loop.

The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference tothe accompanying drawings wherein.

FIG. 1 is a perspective of a ski boot showing three toggle assembliesapplied to the instep and ankle portion of the boot;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of one of the toggle assemblies removed from theboot, showing in dot and dash lines the extent of pivotal movementprovided for;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the toggle assembly shown in FIG. 2,showing the toggle lever in operative position;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary elevation showing the toggle lever in thereleased position;

FIG. 5 is a section taken on the line 5-5 of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a section taken on the line 6-6 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 7 is a section taken on the line 77 of FIG. 2.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a typical ski boot 10 providedat opposite sides of the instep portion 12 of the upper with rows oflacing hooks 2, each of which comprises an outwardly projecting head 4,a shank 6 and a base 8, the latter being secured to the upper materialof the boot by a hollow rivet in conventional fashion.

Normally such a boot is secured by lace entrained about the hooks. It isthe purpose of this invention to substitute for the lace, toggleassemblies to convert the boot from fastening by means of lace, tofastening by means of toggles to obtain the advantages of the latter.The toggle assemblies are like those shown in the aforesaid Patent3,287,774 but embody the further advantages that they are rigidlysecured to the lacing hooks so as to withstand greater stress and shock;that they are more readily adjustable and may be secured against slip intheir adjusted position; and that the interengageable components of thetoggle means may be held engaged in a particular adjusted position whenthe toggle is relaxed so that the toggle assemblies may be engaged andreengaged repeatedly without loss of the adjusted position.

Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a boot provided with threetoggle assemblies, two of them being located across the instep and oneacross the ankle. Each assembly comprises two pairs of jaws 16 and 18adapted to be attached, respectively, to a pair of lacing books atopposite sides of the instep or ankle, a loop 20 connected to one pairof jaws 16 by a flexible strap 22 and a toggle lever 24 connected to theother pair of jaws 18.

The jaw clamps 16, as shown in FIGS. 2, 5 and 6, comprise a jaw part 26-for engagement with the heads of a pair of lacing hooks, and :a jaw part28 for en.- gagement with the shanks of the lacing books. The jaw part26 has a substantially rectangular portion 30 which is adapted to restupon the upper surfaces of the heads of the lacing hooks and is longenough to span two such lacing hooks, a portion 32 offset downwardlytherefrom and parallel thereto for connection to the strap 22, and adownwardly projecting flange 34 for engagement with the outer flangededge of the jaw part 28. Midway between the ends of the jaw parts 26 and28 a screw bolt 38 is mounted in the jaw part 26 for threaded engagementwith an internally threaded sleeve 40 secured to the jaw part 28. Thejaw part 28 has a lip 28a which abuts the outer sides of the shanks ofthe lacing hooks and a flange 28b which abuts the flange 34 of the jawpart 26. The jaw parts 26 and 28 are secured to a pair of lacing hooksby turning the screw bolt in the threaded socket to draw them intoclamping engagement with the lacing hooks, as shown in FIGS. and 6.

The jaws 18 comprise a jaw part 42 and a jaw part 44. The jaw part 42has a rectangular portion 46 for engagement with the upper sides of theheads of the lacing hooks which is long enough to span a pair of lacinghooks, a horizontal flange 48 spaced downwardly and parallel to theportion 46 for engagement with the upper inwardly of the lacing hooks, adownwardly extending flange 50 for engagement with the outer edges ofthe heads of the lacing hooks, a horizontal portion 52 having a lip 52aadapted to bear against the outer sides of the shanks of the lacinghooks, and a vertical portion 54 having at its upper end a bearing 56containing a slot 58 in which one end of the toggle lever 24 isrotatably supported by a pivot pin 60. The flange 48, by engagement withthe upper inwardly of the lacing hooks, constitutes a stabilizingelement which reduces the tipping moment which tends to tip the hooksinwardly toward each other when the toggle is in its operative position.The jaw parts 42 and 44 are clamped to the lacing hooks byinterengagement of a screw bolt 62 in the jaw part 42 with an internallythreaded sleeve 64 fastened to the jaw part 44.

The loop is comprised of wire bent to provide spaced parallel lengths 66joined at one end by a straight length 68 correspondingly substantiallyin width to the strap and about which the strap is adapted to be folded,as illustrated in FIG. 3, and joined at their other ends by a bentlength 70kwhich has its apex at 72 and with which one of a plurality ofnotches 74 in the toggle member is adapted to be engaged to provide foradjusting the amount of constriction when the toggle is moved intolocking or operative position.

The loop 20 is connected to one of the pair of jaws 16, that is to thejaw part 26, by the strap 22, one end of which is fastened to thehorizontal flange 32 by a rivet 76 so that the strap end is free torotate in the plane of the flange about the axis of the rivet.Preferably a metal cap 78 having a downturned flange 80 is placed overthe end of the strap and fastened to the horizontal flange 32 by therivet 76 to reinforce the connection and to prevent distortion of thestrap when it is rotated. The strap contains a plurality of holes 84spaced lengthwise thereof and is folded about the length 68 of the loop.To secure the fold in a selected position, a cinch 86 in the form of arectangular collar is mounted on the bent portion of the strap and isprovided with a tooth 8 which may be engaged with one of the holes. Thetooth is bent forwardly so that any pull which tends to displace thefree end of the strap engages the tooth more firmly within the hole andhence prevents slipping of the strap.

It is desirable to maintain a selected position of adjustment of thetoggle lever with the loop once a given position is found to becomfortable. Accordingly, a retainer in the form of a coiled spring 90is mounted under tention on the loop 20, each end being provided with ahook 92 encircling the Wire of the loop. The spring is mountedrearwardly of the distal end of the loop so that the togggle leverextends upwardly between the apex of the bent portion 70 and the springand is yieldably held by the spring with a selected notch engaged withthe loop. The tension in the spring tends to move it forwardly onto theconverging lengths at the distal end of the loop and thus to hold thetoggle lever between it and the apex end of the loop. The spring may beforced back along the parallel lengths of the loop toward the strap toenable readjustment of the lever whenever desired.

The pivotal attachment of the strap 22 to the clamp 16 enables attachingthe assemblies in diagonal position on the boot, that is with the pairsof jaws at opposite ends fastened to diagonally displaced pairs oflacing hooks instead of opposite pairs of lacing hooks. This crossingarrangement provides greater support with fewer assemblies and, in fact,when so arranged makes it unnecessary to lace the inner boot which isprovided in a boot of this kind.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purposeof illustration only and that this invention includes all modificationsand equivalents which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A toggle assembly for use with a ski boot, said boot having spacedlace-holding means for drawing the boot tight on the foot, comprisingtwo parts to be anchored to the lace-holding means, one of said partshaving connected thereto a loop and the other of said parts havingconnected thereto a toggle means operable by interengagement with saidloop to shorten the distance between the lace-holding means; whereineach of said parts is independently secured to a pair of adjacentlace-holding means by a pair of jaws designed therefor, and a screw boltinterconnecting the jaws operable to draw the jaws into clampingengagement with said lace-holding means, said screw bolt being situatedsubstantially midway between the pair of lace-holding means to which thejaws are clamped.

2. A toggle assembly according to claim 1, wherein each pair of jawscomprises confronting jaw parts for receiving between them thelace-holding means, one of said jaw parts embodying a threaded socket,said bolt extending through an opening in the other jaw part into thesocket operable, by rotation, to draw the jaw parts together, and aflange on one of the jaw parts of each pair of the jaw parts to transmitthe contractile pull developed by the toggle means to the lace-holdingmeans to draw the parts into snug engagement with the foot.

3. A toggle assembly according to claim 1, wherein said lace-holdingmeans comprise hooks and each of the jaws have parts bearing against theouter and inner sides of the hooks and other parts bearing against eachother operable, when the parts are drawn together, to clamp the jawparts to the hooks.

4. A toggle assembly according to claim 1, wherein the lace-holdingmeans are hooks and wherein each pair of jaws comprise confronting jawparts for receiving between them outwardly bent heads of the hooks, oneof each of the jaw parts having a flange bent downwardly at the outeredges of the heads into engagement with the other of the jaw parts, andeach of said other of the jaw parts having parts abutting the outersides of shanks of the hooks.

5. A toggle assembly according to claim 1, wherein a flat flexible strapconnects the loop to one pair of jaws, there is means securing one endof the strap to the one pair of jaws, and means at the opposite endssecuring it to the loop, said latter means comprising a length of thestrap folded through the loop and cinch means encircling the foldedportion of the strap, said cinch means being slidable along the foldtoward the loop and embodying a tooth to be engaged in one of aplurality of spaced holes in the strap and, by such engagement, to holdthe cinch means from slipping relative to the loop.

6. A toggle assembly according to claim 1, wherein the loop is comprisedof wire and has spaced parallel lengths joined to each other at one endby a straight length corresponding substantially in width to the strapand about which the strap is bent, and a bent length joining the otherends forming an apex angle Within which the toggle lever is operable,and a spring is supported under tension between the parallel lengths,said spring being movable along the parallel lengths onto the bentlength to References Cited confine the toggle lever between it and theapex angle of the bent length thereby to retain the toggle lever inUNITED STATES PATENTS engagement with said apex angle. 236F310 11/195824 6'9 7. A toggle assembly according to claim 1, wherein the 53,204,307 9/1965 Dunn 24 68 toggle lever has spaced notches lengthwisethereof se- 312591950 7/1966 f f 24 70 lectively engageable with thedistal end of the loop, and 3,287,774 11/1966 Bmdmg et a] 2470 wherein apart is mounted on the loop behind the toggle I lever yieldably to holdthe lever with a selected notch WILLIAM FELDMAN Prlmmy Exammer' engagedwith the loop when the toggle is released. 10 MILTON S. MEHR, Examiner.

1. A TOGGLE ASSEMBLY FOR USE WITH A SKI BOOT, SAID BOOT HAVING SPACEDLACE-HOLDING MEANS FOR DRAWING THE BOOT TIGHT ON THE FOOT, COMPRISINGTWO PARTS TO BE ANCHORED TO THE LACE-HOLDING MEANS, ONE OF SAID PARTSHAVING CONNECTED THERETO A LOOP AND THE OTHER OF SAID PARTS HAVINGCONNECTED THERETO A TOGGLE MEANS OPERABLE BY INTERENGAGEMENT WITH SAIDLOOP TO SHORTEN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE LACE-HOLDING MEANS; WHEREINEACH OF SAID PARTS IS INDEPENDENTLY SECURED TO A PAIR OF ADJACENTLACE-HOLDING MEANS BY A PAIR OF JAWS DESIGNED THEREFOR, AND A SCREW BOLTINTERCONNECTING THE JAWS OPERABLE TO DRAW THE